With growing public concern about environmental and energy issues, considerable effort has been devoted to further development of electrochemical energy-storage technologies. Anode materials for such battery systems are one key area of interest. While graphite has been commonly used as anode material for certain state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries, it has not been used in lithium-sulfur (Li—S) type energy storage systems such as battery systems due to the need to use ethylene carbonate electrolytes with graphite-material anodes. Carbonated-based electrolytes, such as those including an ethylene carbonate (EC) solvent, cannot be used in lithium-sulfur battery systems due to the interactions of alkyl carbonates and the dissolved polysulfide species in these lithium-sulfur type energy storage systems.
Ether-containing electrolyte compositions such as lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl) imide (LiN(SO2CF3)2, LiTFSI) salt in 1,3-dioxolane (DOL)/1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) mixed solvent is commonly used for Li—S batteries. However, a graphite anode in a LiTFSI salt in DOL/DME mixed solvent electrolyte composition cannot be cycled. Thus, it is generally believed that DOL is an undesirable electrolyte composition solvent for graphite anode cycling in a Li—S battery system.